A third of buyers have experienced a scam on popular second-hand marketplaces in the last two years, a survey suggests.
Which? warned that fraud is “soaring” on second-hand marketplaces after finding that 32% of buyers and 22% of sellers had experienced a scam when using them.
Typically, buyers who had experienced a scam reported receiving incorrect goods (15%) or no goods at all (15%), while 11% had received an empty package and 10% had received counterfeit goods.
Purchase scams were the most common form of authorised push payment fraud, accounting for 66% of all cases reported to banks, according to the latest UK Finance data.
Some 76,946 cases were reported and £40.9 million lost to these scams in the first half of 2023.
Consumers are advised to be cautious when shopping on second-hand platforms, and to check the seller’s reviews and profile.
Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha said: “Second-hand marketplaces can be a great way to save money and shop in a more sustainable way so it’s worrying that a third of buyers have experienced a scam in the last two years.
“When buying and selling second-hand goods online, it’s important that people properly check the seller’s reviews and profile – especially if they are on the hunt for expensive goods.
“However, the responsibility should not fall wholly on consumers to protect themselves from scammers. Second-hand marketplaces need to ensure there are proper checks in place to prevent scammers from advertising in the first place and that any scam profiles are quickly removed.”
Deltapoll surveyed 1,318 adults about 2,027 purchasing experiences on online marketplaces, and a further 1,402 adults about 2,171 experiences with selling on online marketplaces in January.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here